Women staff warn that parental leave may hit prospects

One in three working women think longer parental leave, which comes into force next month, will harm women's chances of promotion.

One in five women also say that having a child makes their chance of promotion less likely, according to a survey by Business Pages.

New legislation will from next month give a mother and father the right to take up to 13 weeks' unpaid leave during the first five years of the birth or the adoption of a child.

Paid maternity leave is also to be extended by four weeks to 18 weeks. Business Pages surveyed 2000 working women and found that while 88% say they are in favour of a partner staying at home to look after children, only half this proportion expected an employer to agree.

The new parental leave regulations impress neither the Trades Union Congress nor the London Chamber of Commerce.

The TUC's Kay Carberry said parental leave reduced stress and so made people more productive, but added: 'Parental leave is unpaid, so that will very severely limit the numbers of men and women who are able to take up the new right.'

She said: 'Parental leave is only open to parents who have a baby after 15 December this year, so that means that there will be an awful lot of parents left who will still be unable to spend time with their children even if they could afford to.'

The Government estimates only one father in 50 will take unpaid leave, compared with one in three mothers. Bigger employers are already discussing in-house schemes, which offer deals better than the new statutory minimum.

'Small businesses will be hit particularly hard because they rely on a few key people,' LCC campaigns director Andrew Hawkins said. Ninety% of London's 3.4 million employees work for firms of 25 or under, and only 1% work for firms employing more than 200.

LCC particularly objects to allowing parents to take off up to four weeks a year at a time, instead of the two weeks LCC urged. 'The new system is also open to abuse,' Hawkins said. 'There will be nothing to stop a parent taking off four weeks in one year at one company, moving, and then taking off another four.'

Leave taken should be recorded, perhaps marked on the P45 employment record an employee is given on leaving a job, LCC said. Small firms do not have to record leave, an anti-red tape concession, but, added Hawkins: 'Firms should record leave, so a new employer can check back and cut out any abuse.'